U.S. factory output was flat for the second straight month in January, raising questions about the manufacturing outlook as production dropped in the aerospace, plastics and food industries. The lack of growth in U.S. manufacturing, reported on Thursday by the Federal Reserve, confounded analyst expectations for a 0.3 percent monthly gain. The Fed had previously estimated a small increase in output for December but revised the data to show no gain in that month. Overall industrial production fell 0.1 percent in January, dragged down by a 1.0 percent decline in mining output. Utilities output rose 0.6 percent last ... (full story)